Of course the topic is fascinating but I am rather disappointed in the programme so far, partly because it seems to be more about Stephen Fry than language. It seemed bizarre that the accents of the UK were imitated by Stephen Fry rather than authentic examples being given.
However, perhaps the programme will encourage more people to be interested in language and Fry does seem to have the right instincts in terms of preservation of languages.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b015qqkl/Frys_Planet_Word_Identity/
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Yes, I usually enjoy a bit of Fry, but this could have been better.
It is possible that programme makers have been instructed, as with many science programmes, to not make a lot of "detailed" observations & to make entertaining programmes rather than offer an opinion about good language skills - or, as with my interest in science, to not put any figures or even minor hypotheses in a programme (see Brian Cox or Marcus Du Satoy's The code whose programmes are devoid of information).
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Thanks for your comments, Roo.
There was a lot of interest here and I think it plays an important role in Britain where perhaps there is not enough discussion/awareness of language. However, there was too much Stephen Fry. I wonder why he does not seem to interview British linguists like Crystal (who is normally very media friendly) or Trudgill.